We are all aboriginal
We all used to live off the land and have enough knowledge about nature that we could support ourselves. We all used to live in small communities with appreciation for the land and without having to 'own' anything or pay rent. We all used to live in harmony with nature; supporting creation rather than contributing to destruction. We all used to know what it really means to contribute to the earth and to fulfill our roles as human beings; protectors of nature overseeing and maintaining the balance in the ecosystem with as little intervention as possible.
And then something changed. Some of us decided we needed more. Perhaps it was greed, perhaps it was a hunger for power. Whatever it was, some of us started to create new rules. Segregation happened. Inequality happened. Clearing of entire forests happened. Loss of species happened. Agriculture happened. The balance was lost. The earth was up for grabs and each and every part needed to be 'used' by and for humans.
The land was taken from us all
As a consequence, we all had our land taken from us. People who were driven away by invaders, as well as people who were invading. We all lost. Whether we agreed to the movement or not; whether we participated in it or not. We all lost our land. There are no winners in this type of game. When one loses, we all lose. It is a law of nature.
If you don't believe me, look what happened:
We started selling the land. We started exploiting the land. We forgot how to live in harmony with other beings and each other. We forgot the importance of trees and plants and how they all contribute to our survival throughout the seasons, which is why we need biodiversity. We started to believe that humans are the most important being on earth. We forgot that instead we need to work together with other beings in order to survive. We started acting like a plague. We forgot our identities and we forgot how to live.
We thought we needed jobs to pay for our homes. With that, we lost our lives. We lost precious time; time to ponder, time to experience, time to live. We thought we needed money for all our needs, and with that many of us lost their integrity and modesty. We could now afford more than we needed, and so we lost our sense of fulfillment too. When you combine material abundance with greed, no amount of stuff can bring fulfillment. And so we sacrificed the natural abundance we already had to feed our insatiable need to fill up the void. We forgot that living our lives with integrity is what brings true fulfillment; it can never be found in material stuff.
Meanwhile we had others work for us, and so we forgot how to survive and how to look after ourselves (the most basic skill required of any being on earth). We forgot our heritage: all the knowledge we had about self-sustainability, knowledge of plants, knowledge of wildlife, and knowledge of how all beings work together to support life. We lost our independence and made our survival dependent on strangers: sellers of stuff and food. We created a gap between what we do every day and what the results of those actions are on our environment, because the results are usually happening far away. Most of us have not seen the effects of climate change with our own eyes. Most of us have not seen rain forests (and/or our main source of food) being cut down and vanishing completely, right in front of their eyes. Sure, most of us have seen pictures or videos, but it is not the same. You may not have heard the scared screeches of animals who are afraid they are losing their home. Just like we all lost our home when we agreed to this way of life. Have we forgotten this too?
We are all homeless, or soon to be
Maybe we should all be angry. Maybe we should all be outraged. Maybe it is time we unite as humans, together with all beings on earth to claim back our land; not as something we own, but as something that cannot be owned. It is time we claim back our lives and claim back our futures. And most importantly: Restore the balance to our ecosystems. This is our home. This is where we live. We should not be segregated. Nature should not be segregated either. So no more cities, but communities. No more fear of other cultures, but instead uniting and learning from each other. No more mass productions of food, but self-sustaining food forests everywhere. Biodiversity over monoculture. No more clearing of land and leaving it bare. Bare soil is dead soil. This is why nature has invented weeds: fast growing greens to help restore the damage we are doing. But nature can't keep up with our misguided minds anymore; not without our help... not without your help. Are we going to watch on the sidelines while our home is being taken down?
I hope not.
What can we do?
Words are a great start, but not enough. If we really want to make changes, we will need to take action. The bolder, the better. Here are some suggestions:
-Learn to support yourself; e.g. move off the grid or choose to live moneyless. Start or join small communities. The more people live this way, the easier it will become. We deserve to live on earth as much as any other being, without payment and in total freedom.
-Rediscover your place in the ecosystem. See how you can help restore the balance. Bold actions may be necessary, because we need to counteract the vast destruction that is going on at the same time.
-Support biodiversity anywhere you can. Plant seeds of species that are struggling to survive. Protect nature. Protect wildlife. Demonstrate. Spread the word.
-Help others. Support others in the changes they make and seek support regularly from like-minded individuals.
-Inspire change. Let people know that other ways of living are possible and that they don't have to participate in and contribute to the loss of biodiversity and harming our ecosystem. Change is necessary to live a life of integrity.
In short: Make a difference! Take steps today and share your progress here. We can all support each other in our efforts to change the tide. We lost the balance and now it is time to restore it. We can only do this together. All the species of the world are counting on us. The clock is ticking. Every day we are losing species of plants and animals forever.
Don't wait.
Rise up.
Can we count you in?
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